5. Not surprising. When I went to court for my name change the judge asked if my ex-husband had given

his permission for the name change.

It was all I could do to restrain myself. In response, I raised my voice to make sure all in the courtroom could hear, and told the judge that I didn't need the court's permission to change my name so either approve the application or not.

My ex-husband had been my ex for more than 8 years by this time, lived several thousand miles away and we hadn't spoken in years.

At the time, in AZ you didn't need the court's permission to change your name as long as the change is not for criminal purposes.